An unusual cold spell hit Sa Pa — a famous resort town in northern Vietnam — on Tuesday morning, causing temperatures to plummet in the middle of autumn.

Monday night marked the weakened influence of a low pressure groove and convergence zone over Lao Cai Province, where Sa Pa is located, reducing local rainfall, according to the provincial Hydro-meteorological Observatory.

At night, there were few clouds in the mountainous areas, causing the temperature to drop sharply.

At 7:00 am on Tuesday, the temperature measured by the Bac Ha Meteorological Station was down to 20.8 degrees Celsius while Sa Pa experienced a chill of 12.2 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees lower than the same time the previous day.

However, it was still 1.7 degrees higher than the current record low mid-September temperature of 10.5 degrees Celsius, the station said. 

Winter-like weather is expected to arrive in Sa Pa early this year and a much more severe winter than last year’s is in the forecast, said Luu Minh Hai, director of the Lao Cai Province Hydro-meteorological Observatory.

On September 4, Sa Pa recorded a temperature of 12.9 degrees Celsius, the lowest ever recorded in the first 10 days of September since 1957.

Local authorities have urged farmers to actively implement measures to protect their crops and cattle against the biting weather while students in the area should be well-prepared to fight the cold when they go to school.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!